Once In A Millenium
by Snapesservant
Summary: Leila Potter isn't your average witch. She's homeschooled by her parents, has green spiraling marks on her arms, and happens to be Harry Potter's twin sister. There is much she doesn't know, about herself and about her world. Could finding out mean death?
1. Chapter 1: Truth

For the first ten years of my life, I felt like I was trapped in a dark cave with no hope of me ever leaving. One of those caves they take you to on school trips where the most exciting thing that happens is a teaching squealing as hordes of bats attack them. I didn't mean to do it, I swear. She was asking for it, drawling on and on about _cave structure._

Anyways, yeah, my life, up till when I was eleven or a little younger, was fairly boring. I guess it wasn't completely boring; I am a witch after all. There were also some great high points and horrible low points, but for the most part I feel that if you watched a movie on those years you would fall asleep in the first ten minutes.

A lot of it had to do with the fact that my parents refused to tell me anything about the war.

At first, I was content to focus on the things I thought mattered the most in life: Potions, spells, books, music, and getting good grades. But as I got older, I got nosier, as my mum would put it. One day I discovered her reading a book entitled: _A History of the First War._ Not a very creative title if you asked me, but it raised my curiosity. I, having no idea she wanted to hide anything from me, asked her what it was about. She dropped the book in shock and told me it was nothing, just a fiction book. I was five at the time, so that's why I believed her.

I never stopped asking my parents, mostly Mum, about it, though. These endeavors in trying to get more information never succeeded. Eventually, I was desperate enough to steal it from her and my father's room while they were out one day. They had left me to watch over my younger brother, Sirius, who was six at the time. There really wasn't much to watch, seeing as he mostly stayed in his room all day reading his magical comic books and playing with his Quidditch player action figures.

Trusting Mum never put a charm on the door to keep me out, so I could simply walk in the room. It was a large, spacious room. The bed had a crimson red comforter with gold pillows. Pictures of our family, some individual and some group, lined the walls, and as I looked around, the subjects smiled and waved at me.

There was one picture of someone I did not recognize though. He looked a lot like my father, hair that stuck out all over the place, glasses, and many features of his face were similar. He had my mum's eyes, though. He also had a lightning bolt shaped scar in the middle of his forehead. This picture was also completely stationary. I had the feeling that if I just found that book, I would figure out who that boy was.

I walked over to Mum's bookshelf, which completely covered the eastern wall. She had the books organized by title, so it was rather simple to find the "H"'s and pick out _A History of the First War._ I half expected some sort of alarm to go off, but none did. Unless Mum put some sort of spell on it that would alert her, nobody would notice I took the book.

I rushed into my room, which I also call my sanctuary. It is also large, though not as large as my parents'. The walls were painted lime green, with posters of my favorite bands (Muggle and wizard) and people I looked up to plastered on it. My full size bed (yes, I was a bit spoiled) was pushed into the corner directly opposite the door. The comforter was black with lime green polka dots to match my wall, and the pillows and other sheets were a mixture of the two colors. My bookshelf was next to bed, full but not nearly as large as my mum's. My guitars (acoustic & electric) were by the window, along with pages of music I had written. The wireless sat on my desk, usually tuned on to the rock station. I loved the atmosphere of it; coming in here always had a way of calming me down.

I lied on my bed and got myself comfortable before reading. I opened the book to the table of contents and saw the first chapter was entitled "A General Overview". I hastily turned the pages to Chapter One, and began reading.

_"Never, in all of Wizarding history, has there ever been such a catastrophic chain of events as The First War. Even during the times of Grindwald, the loss of life, the effect on Wizarding society, has never been greater. _

_ "A wizard named Tom Riddle, or better known as Lord Voldemort (referred to as "You-Know-Who" or "He Who Must Not Be Named in public) was a cruel and clever man. He believed, as did his followers, the Death Eaters, that wizards and witches who had been born of at least one Muggle, and Muggles themselves, were not worth much more than the dirt on their shoes. In many ways, Voldemort and his Death Eaters are comparable to the Muggle Adolf Hitler and his Nazis. Each year they remained in power, he killed and tortured more and more innocent people. It was a horror unlike any other event in Wizarding history. Many brave souls tried to stand up to Voldemort, but nearly all ended up dead or mortally wounded. One sad case was the tragedy of Frank & Alice Longbottom, who were tortured to the point of insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband & brother, and Barty Crouch Jr., trying to find out the Dark Lord's location. The only safe place left was Hogwarts, since Voldemort was known to fear Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard alive to date. _

I was horrified. I couldn't understand why people would do this. Especially that Lestrange woman, she sounded so….revolting, for want of a better word. Still, I wondered what my parents had to do with this. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything too bad….

_ "Just when there seemed to be no hope for the Wizarding World, the now world famous event occurred. On Halloween night, 1981, Voldemort was making his way down a lonely road in Godric's Hollow, the site of his next murder. Thanks to his informant, he knew exactly where his victims would be." _

I thought this was supposed to be a history book, not a suspenseful thriller like the ones my dad likes to read! Honestly, get to the point! I flipped the page hastily, and gawked at the words I saw printed on the top of the page.

_ "He was after a family called the Potters, a young couple with a young child. To this day, no one is entirely sure why, though many theories have been written (See Chapter Five). When he threw open the door, James was there, in a defensive stance, but wandless. Voldemort killed him ruthlessly. All evidence suggests that he immediately upstairs to where he found Lily. He killed her too, most likely without hesitation. Then he turns on the baby, Harry. He shouted the curse "Avada Kedavra!", but in a case that defies all magical laws, it doesn't work. In fact, it rebounds onto Voldemort, destroying the house, and most everything with it. No one has ever discovered what happened to Lord Voldemort, but scarcely anyone believes him dead."_

Again, so dramatic. My mind registered this while the rest of my body was freaking out. My hands shook and my mouth seemed to be moving of its own accord, no sound coming out of it.

_ "What followed was absolute chaos. For when Voldemort cast his curse, the whole house exploded. Muggles surrounded the place, shocked, scared, and confused. But before the Ministry of Magic could arrive, two wizards caught everyone's attention." _

_ "They were Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. They were standing at opposite ends of the street, wands drawn." _

Sirius Black. Sirius….Sirius…..my brother, Sirius.

_ "Lily & James, Sirius! How could you do this to them? You were their Secret Keeper, and you betrayed them to Voldemort!" Pettigrew shouted. _

Secret Keeper. He was probably a friend….best friend, if they named Sirius after him. How…could…they? Confusion and shock took me over for a minute before I continued reading. It seemed to be an automatic reflex.

_ "Black just laughs. He then proceeds to cast a spell that destroys the whole street, killing twelve Muggles and Pettigrew. The only remains found of him was his thumb_."

That wasn't the end of the chapter, but I slammed the book shut anyway, unable to read anymore. Without really knowing what I was doing, I walked out of my room and returned the book to its proper place on the shelf, then walked back to my room to absorb what I had read.

It wasn't a moment too soon, because just as I started to think about it, Mum knocked on the door. "Can I come in?" Lily Potter asked sweetly.

"Sure." I said, sitting up, surprised my voice was still working.

She opened the door and walked in. She was smiling widely as she sat on the bed next to me.

"So did you get along fine without us?" She asked.

"Of course, Mum, we always do."

She laughed. "There's a first time for everything, and with you two, I'm surprised that first time hasn't happened yet."

I pretended to be offended. "Mum, I am appalled at your utter lack of confidence in me."

She still grinned. "I'm sorry, hun. I knew you'd be fine, of course. So, what were you up to while we went to Hogsmeade?"

The lie came to me easily, as they always do. "Oh, I just read mostly. And I worked on a new song."

Mum has always been totally supportive of my musical tendencies. "Ooh, can I hear it sometime?"

"'Course you can."

Standing up, she said "I look forward to it. But I'd better go check on Sirius, make sure he hasn't blown up his room or something."

I nodded and said "Okay." She left the room, and I was left alone to my thoughts.

So, I had a twin brother who was famous for surviving Voldemort, parents who were supposed to be dead, a little brother who was named after a murderer, and a whole lot of confusion about the rest of the story.

I looked down at the green, spiraling marks on my arms and started to cry.


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise

The month after finding out the truth (at least partially) about my history passed quickly, very quickly. I thought about the article quite often, and I couldn't help but wonder where Harry was, what he was doing at that very moment. Thinking about him made me feel sad, for two reasons. Because there was a good chance I would never meet him, and because there was a good chance he would never know that his family was alive and well.

I never told my parents what I found out that day, hoping they would tell it to me on their own. Most unfortunately, they never did. This, altogether, was not surprising, yet I felt a tiny pang of hurt inside, for I could not understand why they would keep a secret like that from me.

On this particular day in the boring life of me, I met up with a friend at the ice cream Shoppe downtown. It was the first time we had been able to go somewhere like this alone, and we were excited. Well, I was, anyways. While I sipped on a delicious chocolate milkshake, the girl next to me had her face buried in a book.

Typical Hermione Granger.

She's my best friend, actually. We've known each other since we were 5. At first I thought she was a show offy know it all. My opinion quickly changed when she defended me from some girls who were teasing me for the marks on my arms. I was very grateful, and she only ever asked once what my green marks were. She is a very great friend, albeit my only one.

"Hey, Mione'" I said through a mouthful of chocolately goodness. "Why don't you put the book down for a minute and try this ice cream? I'm sure…"I paused to read the title of her book."I'm sure The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe can wait."

She looked up at me like I was insane. I rolled my eyes. Here we go again. She seriously needs a life outside of reading. An idea slowly crawled into my brain, and once fully formed, it could not be permitted to lie idly inside my mind.

"Hermione. You know that lake outside of town?"

She nodded, barely paying attention to me.

"Well…." I paused for suspense. She glanced up at me impatiently, and I continued. "I heard someone say that C.S. Lewis got the idea for Narnia right after he jumped into the lake." I said the last sentence in a dramatic whisper, as if I was sharing an incredibly important secret with her and it was vital that she not tell anyone.

She slammed the book shut and raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense." She said, firmly, in a tone that suggested she did not want to hear anymore on the subject.

"Oh, maybe." I said off handedly, as if it were no importance to me. "But aren't you curious, even a little?"

Though Hermione prided herself on not believing rumors, nobody, not even her, could help but wonder if one is true. She was loathe to admit this, but honesty has always been one of Hermione's favorite qualities. "Maybe a little." She said hesitantly.

I smelled victory not too far off. "So…why don't we go visit the lake? Don't you find it weird that we live right north of the largest lake in England, yet we have never visited?"

She was nodding slowly. "Yeah, we should go there sometime."

Getting excited, I continued. "Why not now?"

Now Hermione started to look panicked. "Now? Leila, we can't go now. We have to stay here; it's where our parents expect us to be."

Dang it, I forgot about my parents. But the trip wouldn't take long, or so I hoped, so I decided to do it anyway. I could be quite persuasive when need be.

"Oh, come on, Hermione. It won't take long. We can just go there and take a look around, then come straight back here. Promise."

She eyed me suspiciously, but after a while she sighed and said "Okay, fine. Let's go."

I smiled. I fully intended to keep my promise. But as I should have known by then, nothing ever goes as planned in my life.

We ran through the streets of Ambleside, our tiny town of 2,600 people. When we got to the back roads, we slipped into the grassland and made a show of mimicking gazelles. I sure hope we didn't offend them. Within minutes, the lake was in sight.

Lake Windermere is truly a beautiful sight. Aside from being the only semi-famous landmark around, it was a perfect place for picnics, swimming, fishing, and all kinds of recreational activities. There even was a tire swing hanging high above the water on the hill, overlooking the lake. I beckoned Hermione forward, who was staring around in awe, and led her up the hill.

"C'mon, Hermione!" I said enthusiastically. "We'll have a better view from up here!"

It turned out I was right. Already a magnificent sight from the ground, it was even more breathtaking from up here.

I wrenched my eyes away from the water and focused on the plan.

I smiled knowingly. "You know, Hermione, they say if you jump into this lake you will have good luck."

"Sure." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Oh, she would pay for that. I was the master of sarcasm here.

"Well, C.S. Lewis must have believed it." I said. "Wouldn't you like to jump in the same lake a famous author did?"

She seemed to forget that that was a "rumor" (I totally made it up). Her face was showing signs of interest.

Now to clamp my jaws on my prey. "We could both go together, you know. That tire looks like it could hold both of us." I eyed it, and indeed, it looked like it would hold all of our weight. But I couldn't stop a nervous feeling clench my stomach.

"Oh, fine!" She said a little exasperated. I giggled. Plan almost completed!

We had to be at least 30 feet off of the ground. However, having started this damn thing, I was determined to finish it. Mum says I've always been like that. I grabbed my jade necklace quickly, and somehow that made me feel a little better.

Hermione & I reached out for the rope at the same time and pulled it tight. The tree branch it was hanging from hardly moved. That too, calmed my feelings of unease.

We were moving quickly now. We each placed one foot each upon the tire and walked to the edge of the hill.

"Kick off together?" She asked me, and I could hear the shakiness in her voice. I felt guilty for ever bringing her up here, but I knew there was no backing out of it now. I nodded.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Always.", I answered weakly, trying and failing to sound confident.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered under her breath.

We counted together, "One—Two---Three!"

And so we flew. As soon as the swing left solid ground, we both realized we were terrified of heights. Screaming and flailing, we came ever closer to the lake.

"Ready?" Hermione shouted, braver than I was, even though it was my idea to do this. I didn't answer her, just jumped off, her following right behind me.

I didn't anticipate the coldness of the water. It hit me like an electric shock. It was so cold I didn't know if I could move my arms. I was terrified I was going to drown. But before I could really panic, Hermione grabbed my arm, steadying and calming me. We started swimming towards the surface.

"Girls!" A voice called from the edge of the lake. A tall, blonde woman, with Hermione's eyes stood at the shore of the lake. It was Hermione's mum, sounding relieved and angry at the same time. I gulped. Stupidly, I had forgotten to check the time before we left the Shoppe. We swam towards Mrs. Granger as fast as we could.

When we got to her mom, I realized for the first time that she was not alone. Standing next to her was a stern looking old woman holding a letter. She had her black hair pulled up in a bun and her glasses pulled up against her eyelids. She was wearing a dress, but she looked uncomfortable in it, like she's never worn one before.

Mione's mom was ranting about how she had no idea where we were, how dangerous it was to jump off the cliff, blah blah. I was about to claim responsibility for the whole incident--because it really was my fault, but the women started to speak.

"I certainly hope you do not do this sort of reckless thing while attending Hogwarts." She said sternly, looking at Hermione.

It took a moment for me to realize what this meant. When it sank in, it felt like ice had frozen over my heart.

"So……" I said coolly and cruelly, glaring at her. "Is there any reason you never told me?"

For the first time this afternoon, Hermione looked frightened. "Told you what?"

I didn't care that she was frightened. All that mattered was that she was getting what I wanted so much, and it wasn't fair. It just wasn't.

"Don't play dumb, Granger. You're no good at it."

In the back of my mind, it occurred to me that she must be Muggleborn, but again, I didn't care. I was indifferent to everything.

"What are you talking about, _Evans?_"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You are a witch. Now, why didn't you tell me?"

I was impatient. I wanted answers. I wanted to know how she could betray me like this.

She looked shocked and offended. "Wh-what did you just call me?"

This girl was so idiotic! How could she not know what she was? I shook my head. I didn't want to continue this conversation. "Never mind." I said simply, and I turned my back, and walked calmly back to my house.

As I walked, I heard her crying uncontrollably.

I don't even know why I reacted like that. Sometimes, I don't know why, anger overrides all my other feelings and thoughts, and something like that happens. My father has noticed this.

I really didn't mean to hurt Hermione. I was not thinking at all when I said those horrible things to her. Looking back on it, it's clear that she is a Muggleborn and honestly had no clue that she was magical. She did not deserve my scorn or nasty words, in front of her mother, no less. I can only hope that she finds it in her heart to forgive me.

I decided that I had better go talk to her. It had been an hour since the incident at the lake; surely the explanation would be over by now? At any rate, I would try.

Mum & my father had gone to the Ministry of Magic to make arrangements for me to be officially homeschooled. That was probably another reason why I was so upset today, and so rude to Hermione. Not that was any excuse, of course.

As I was 3 steps away from door, someone knocked on it. I hastily opened it to find Hermione there. She stared at me, and I stared at her. Finally, I broke the silence.

"Hermione, I am so so sorry for what I said at the lake. I didn't mean a word of it, I swear."

To my great surprise, she smiled. "I know you didn't, Leila."

I blinked a couple extra times than necessary. "You…know….what?" I said, genuinely confused. I thought for sure she'd be mad!

She laughed and shook her head. "Honestly, Leila, I know you. You are irrationally…..hostile when you're angry. Remember that time a couple of years ago, when you mouthed off to our teacher because she put you in the "stupid" row?"

I remembered that event pretty clearly. It had earned me a month's detention. But I certainly proved to Miss Morgan I was no fool.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. "Still, you certainly didn't deserve all of that. Especially when you were about to get news that would probably confuse you."

"Oh, I'm not confused. Professor McGonagall explained everything. Well, I suppose there is one thing I'm confused about."

"What is it?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew what it was.

"Why you can't go to Hogwarts."

I sighed, having been proven right, and opened the door wider. "You better come in and make yourself comfortable. It's kind of a long story."

**Well, that was a much better and accurate version of Chapter 2! I originally wrote this a long time ago, and the writing was really bad, so I felt the need to revise it, and ended up pretty much rewriting it. So, even if you have reviewed Chapter 3 & 4(HPFF ), please review this one too, and tell me what you think! Thank you very much. And if you haven't reviewed, please do!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Well Thought Out Plan

As my mother closed the door behind her, I reached under my bed and pulled out my cauldron, already full of the foul looking potion. Not that it would have been odd to see me brewing this potion, or any potion at all, really. It's just that I have a whole room in the basement used specifically for storing and brewing potions, and it would make zero sense for me to have one here in my room where my things could get ruined should an accident occur.

I looked down on it as it bubbled and cackled. I scowled at it, loathing the potion I have been forced to brew since childhood.

I wrinkled my nose: Polyjuice Potion has never smelled good.

But with any luck, this would be the last time I would ever have to lay my eyes on it. For weeks, I had prepared for this day. I could only hope that it would be enough.

I measured the correct(or incorrect, depending on your view point) amount of boomslang skin, and added it to the potion, praying that after weeks of calculation and careful planning, it was not all going to come to an end here.

The bubbling ceased immediately. I breathed a sigh of relief. That was the final ingredient of the potion, and it was now ready. I rummaged in my pockets for a vial, and carefully dipped it into the potion with the steady hand of a potions maker. Filling it to the brim, I put the stopper on it and set it down beside me.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

I tried to occupy myself by trying a new potion, but my attention was elsewhere and any lapse in concentration for potion-making could be disastrous. I tried a safer route, reading a book, but I have reread most of the books in my collection and no matter how brilliant a novel was it could not draw my attention from the matter at hand.

But then my eyes caught the wooden box sitting at the edge of my bookcase. It had been a week since she had last written, and I needed something to distract me….

I walked over and took the box from the shelf, familiar in my hand, and went to lie down on my bed. It was a magical box, for it didn't matter how many things you put in it, it would never get full. I opened it and randomly picked a letter from the box. I hastily unfolded it and began to read.

_ Leila,_

_ I'm really beginning to get scared. I've been trying to focus on my studies, but to no avail. A Muggleborn named Colin Creevy has just been attacked, and I'm so afraid it's going to be me next. I don't know what to do for once! _

_ Harry & Ron are fine, but a couple of days ago, right before Colin was attacked, Harry had a bit of an accident. It was nothing to do with You Know Who, but a Quidditch match. You see, someone fixed a Bludger to focus on Harry. Harry was flying fantastically until the very end, when the Bludger finally caught up with him and broke his arm. He still caught the Snitch, though! And then the wonderful Professor Lockhart tried to heal him, but a teeny, tiny, thing went wrong and he accidently removed the bones in his left arm. He's okay now though! I just thought you'd like to know._

_ Thanks so much for the tip about Polyjuice Potion, Leila. It's really complex, of course, but I should be able to brew it. Don't send any to Hogwarts: I don't want you to get in trouble. I told Harry & Ron that I got this out of a book, and they believed me easily. I really wish I could tell them, especially Harry, the truth, but I'll respect your parents' wishes._

_ Love from,_

_ Hermione._

I closed my eyes, laid the paper down, and sighed. Of course, I had to pick the letter that would remind me of the task I must perform. Actually, I want to perform it. It's just that it could have so many unpleasant consequences.

Tired of reading letters, I threw it back into the box and slammed it shut. At that very moment, my door opened slightly and my father poked his head in.

"Hey, Lei." He said with a small smile. "Potion ready?"

"Yeah, of course." I leaped off of my bed, and grabbed the vial from under it. I walked back over to him. "Here you go." I said, handing it over.

"Great!" He said, patting me on the head (apparently, he hasn't realized that I'm 15 years old). Almost as if it were a reflex, I glanced down at my necklace, a simple silver chain with a large jade hanging from it. My mother said my father had gotten it for me, but I'm not sure if I believe that.

He wasn't finished. He was truly beaming now. "I can't believe I'm going to be a part of the Order again. Of course, there will be people I miss….the McKinnons...the Longbottoms…but Moony and Padfoot will be there! It'll be great to be with the old crowd again, taking a stand against Voldemort."

In my mind, I wondered how he could believe that something like Polyjuice Potion could fool Dumbledore, but I kept my silence. I couldn't say anything that would disrupt my carefully constructed plan.

"Thanks again for the potion, Leila. I've gotta go." And with that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

Now my nerves really started to set in. It wouldn't be long now until all hell broke loose. That potion would only last for 15 minutes, not an hour. It's good that my dad was going to the Order meeting instead of my mum, because he wouldn't be able to tell the subtle difference in the altered potion. It's also good that Order meetings are top secret, because I wouldn't want to put my dad in danger.

I shivered and ran my hand over my necklace as I digested that lie. Many of my troubles would go away if I could be away from my father….one of the reasons I was doing this. I ran my hand over the bruise on my neck and comforted myself with the fact that soon it will all be over, though it might take much strength to get to the place where I needed to be.

Distraction. I needed a distraction. I grabbed a random book off of my bookshelf and forced myself to begin reading. Eventually, it took my mind off of the matter at hand.

All too soon, my comfort was interrupted. My door flew open, showing my irate father standing there, with many people behind him, looking beyond him in shock, surprise, and curiosity.

He strode towards me fast, but deliberately. I had just enough time to stand up before his hand was on my neck, pinning me on the wall. I looked at him determinedly, not wanting to show any fear at all.

"Idiot girl!" He shouted. He was angrier than even I imagined possible. "How….how dare you expose our secret like this? You have no consideration for others, do you? Of course not, you're too selfish to think of anyone besides yourself and your little dream to go to Hogwarts! Why can't you be more like your brothers?" And with that, he slapped me across the face and threw me to the ground. Hard.

But before he could do anything else, the people I had saw earlier –and had expected—sprang into action. A tall, pale man, with black hair and dressed entirely in black rushed forward seized him in the exact way he had me, pointing his wand right in his face, breathing heavily. He looked even more furious than my father had been with me.

An old man with a long silver beard, purple robes, spectacles, and a crooked nose, walked towards me. This must be the famous Dumbledore. How anxious I had been to meet him! I tried to sit up, but found that my arms were too sore and covered with bruises to manage the effort. I collapsed again, more tired than ever.

Other people were rushing forward as well. I recognized my mother, of course, eyes brimming with tears. I also recognize a familiar bushy haired know-it-all. I was very surprised; I had not expected Hermione to be here at all. The two boys with her I did not know, but it wasn't too hard to guess who they were.

The dark haired boy was wearing a look of disgust, shock, bewilderment, and concern. I didn't know how anyone feels so many emotions at one time, but I suppose not very much is impossible for this boy. Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. My twin brother.

I couldn't fathom what the red head was feeling; he very simply looked very pale. I knew enough from Hermione's letters, though she didn't say it outright, that she liked him. This must be Ron Weasley.

Three people remained standing at the back of the room, looking like they had no idea what to do with themselves. The older women (that I recognized from that fateful day at lake) and Hermione told me that her name was Professor McGonagall, and she taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts. She was clutching her heart and too looked very pale. She shot furious and astonished looks at my father every so often.

The man next to her looked more shocked than anyone else. He had long, unkempt, black hair and was pretty tall. I immediately recognized him from pictures my father had around the house. My brother's namesake, Sirius Black.

The last man appeared to be very tired, but had resoluteness about him that I had never seen before. It was a very calm kind of angry, not at all like the anger my father had let loose on me. He looked like he would be very kind, but seemed to be somewhat….troubled. I also recognized this man from my father's photographs. This had to be Remus Lupin.

Not more than 5 seconds had passed while I made my evaluations. By that time, Dumbledore, Mum, Hermione, Harry, and Ron had all came to kneel beside me. Hermione's face, like my mother's, was streaked with tears.

"Leila." It was Dumbledore who spoke first, and I felt a mild shock at his knowing my name. "Can you sit up?"

I couldn't a few seconds ago, and had no reason to believe that I would be able to now. I shook my head.

"Oh, Leila," said Hermione through her tears. I hated how much suffering I was causing her. "I can't believe he did that to you. How long has this been going on?"

She obviously inferred from the bruises covering my arms that this was not the first time something of this nature had occurred. And she was correct.

"A long time," I said through my pain. "I'm sorry, Mum—Hermione. I couldn't tell you, I swear I couldn't—"

My mum interrupted, an anguished look on her face. "And why on earth not? Oh, sweetie, I can't believe I never knew this went on, I'm such an idiot." The pain was evident in her every word.

I sighed, knowing hell was about to break loose. "He….he made me take the Unbreakable Vow. I didn't know…I was only five, you see. And I….healed my bruises with salve."

I looked at my mum pleadingly, watching as my mum's expression turned from devastating sadness to the most unimaginable anger before my eyes. But somehow, she was calm when she next spoke.

"Don't move," she said. Her voice was firm and crisp. Standing up, she walked to where the black-haired man had now magically bound my father, his wand still firmly pointing at father's neck. My mum glanced at the black-haired man.

"Severus, please back off for a moment. I would like to have a few choice words with my _husband_."

**A/N: First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this, especially you wonderful people at HPF. A special thanks to dumbledorelove (bookslug here) for offering to be my beta, though I forgot to send the second chapter to her. My apologies. **

**And if you haven't reviewed, please, please do. They mean so much to me, and motivate me to keep writing. Especially since I have an English speech due tomorrow that I haven't completed yet. *is a guilty procrastinator* Anyways, please review!**

**If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them, unless it reveals too much of the plot, of course. I think I'll answer many questions & raise some new ones in the next chapter, so please hang tight. **

**Again, thank you so much for reading! It means the world to me, I swear. **


	4. Chapter 4: Some Kind of Angel

Chapter 4: Some Kind of Angel

_I'm standing in a grassy field with grass and flowers all around me. It's very peaceful here. I can make out a small house in the distance, and I can very nearly feel the heat of a summer's day. Two teeenagers were standing not even 10 meters in front of me, yet they did not seem to notice my prescence._

_The male was trying to catch his breath by the looks of things. His hands were on his knees, breathing heavily, glaring up at the girl standing in front of him through long, greasy, black locks. _

_"You—will—pay." He managed to get out during the intervals between his breaths._

_The girl laughed and it was like bells, her laugh. It also sounded oddly familiar. Her shiny black hair waved through the wind, and as she raised an arm to pin it back, I noticed something on her arms. Blue, spiraling marks that criss crossed up to just past her elbow._

_Marks just like mine. In a different color._

_"Oh, Severus." The girl said in her perfect, crisp way of speaking. "You know you would never do anything to me. You're not that stupid, even if you are a Slytherin."_

_The boy, Severus, glared back, but I could tell that he wasn't truly angry. This was obviously some kind of exchange between friends, or maybe siblings. They certainly did look much alike._

_Severus had now drawn himself up to full height and raised his wand. A look of fierce determination was etched upon his face._

_"Alright," he said, in a cool and drawling voice, "Meredith, have another go. I'm ready this time."_

_Despite his words, I could detect a tiny bit of fear in his voice._

_Meredith giggled. "Okay then. I hope you enjoy this, brother."_

_She raised her arms, and the blue lines started glowing. Faster than a blink of the eye, the blue glow shot out towards Severus. He attempted to defend against it with his wand, but to no avail. The blueness enveloped him and lifted him off the ground, so he was now floating in midair. Meredith appeared to be controlling him. She made him do flips; she raised him high and low, apparently enjoying herself._

_But, as abruptly as the blue glow had shot out, Meredith screamed and Severus fell to the ground. Meredith continued screaming as she was withering wildly on the ground. Severus rushed towards her, his face a mask of horror and shock._

_"No!" His voice was cracked with agony and anger. "This can't be happening, it just can't be!"_

_Meredith's shaking stopped suddenly. She looked up at her brother, sadness and acceptance in her eyes._

_"I'm sorry, Sev," she said, somehow keeping her composure. "There's nothing you can do. It's just my time, I guess. Goodbye."_

_And with that final word, the light went out of her eyes, the life left her smile. Meredith was gone, leaving only a ghastly corpse. _

_Or was it only a corpse? As Severus stared at her with no emotion in his eyes, the blue lines on the body's arms turned an inky black, and they appeared to be forming words._

_**Dead by Eighteen.**_

_The words lingered just enough to be read, and then faded back into the arm, leaving no trace of marks, blue or black, in its place._

_Something must have gone off in Severus' mind, something to bring him out of his cold reverie. Pain was apparent on every corner of his face, and tears were pouring out of his eyes. He bent down on his knees, grabbing what used to be Meredith's hand._

_"Goodbye, Meredith," he choked out through his sobs, knowing it was far too late for her to hear, and that knowledge was killing him._

_And then his face was emotionless again, and I was staring into a pair of dead, coal black eyes._

Some kind of angel was calling me back to existence.

"Leila, sweetie. You need to get up." She shook me softly, and I hovered between the worlds of reality and dream. My eyelids flickered, and suddenly I was staring into the eyes of my mother.

She smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart."

I wanted to return her greeting, but strangely, I couldn't remember what happened yesterday after my father burst into the room.

"Mum," I said, voice urgent, starting to panic. "What all happened yesterday? I can't remember anything!"

To my surprise, she kept on smiling, though it dimmed a little. "Well, that can be easily explained. You see, Professor Dumbledore gave you a potion to heal your bruises, but he was unaware that you were allergic to that particular Healing potion."

Oh. It was all coming back to me now: the inability to breathe, the red patches all over my skin, the coughing up of blood. It was obviously far from pleasant - so it was one of my father's favourite ways to torment me. The funny thing about potion allergies was that once the unpleasant effects had run their course, the potion still had the effect it was intended to. It was the perfect scenario for my father: Torment Leila, and keep Lily and Sirius from suspecting anything. He was damn lucky it was a healing potion…

But the way I remembered it…..was odd. I clearly remembered coughing up blood, yet I can't recall any memories of the pain that came along with it. It was as if my mind was detached from my body.

"But I still don't remember….parts….of it." I told her, hoping she'd understand.

She sat down on the lime green comforter, and folded it back in a very motherly gesture. "Honey, that's because, Sev—Professor Snape gave you a potion, the Vires Silio Serum."

Ah, yes, I knew of that potion, of course. It was a great potion, incredible really. It enable the body to fight off virtually any kind of harm that might come to them by conserving energy by letting the mind rest. So basically, it was a potion that knocked you out to make you feel better.

I nodded. "But that potion is supposed to be really rare. Where did he get it?"

Mum hesitated. "He brewed it, of course."

I gasped. As well as being really rare, it was exceedingly difficult to brew. He must be a very good potion brewer.....but wait….

"Mum, when you say Professor…"

"Yes, he teaches Potions at Hogwarts."

"I see." I wondered, after this fiasco, if I would be able to go there. That had been one of the intentions with my plan, but I was still feeling doubtful that it would happen now.

Mum sighed. "Look, Leila, why don't you get dressed and we can discuss….events over breakfast?"

I understood "we" to mean more than just her and I. Then my stomach clenched horribly as I realized something...

"Mum!" My voice was more urgent than before. "What happened to…"

Her face was carved in stone. "Breakfast, darling."

"But what about Sir—"

"Breakfast!" She said, more firmly, and left the room.

Well, now I was alone with my thoughts. Which I knew wasn't a good thing because I really didn't want to dwell on recent events….

The dream. What the hell did that mean? I've never had one that was so clear, detailed. Also, I somehow knew I was in a dream, which was extremely weird….It was all extremely weird, and that didn't even include the dream itself.

It was creepy, to say the least. Of course, I've had nightmares before…mostly repeats of real life events - but never anything like that. The dream had nothing to do with me, though I suspected that it was a real life event. And I somehow doubted that the boy in the dream sharing the same name with the Potion's Master was a coincidence. Severus isn't a very common name.

And then there was the girl.

The girl with the same marks as me.

Did she possibly have the same fate as me?

Will I be dead before I turn 18?

Are my marks a curse?

What the hell is even going on?

I had a feeling I wouldn't know for a long, long time.

**August 2nd. 1995. The Day After the Potters were discovered.**

Sitting in the Potter's---oh how he hated to hear that name, even in his own mind—kitchen, Severus found himself, for some strange reason, thinking of the day his sister died. Meredith.

It was the first time he had witnessed death, though it would be far from his last. He remembered returning to school for 7th year and seeing those unnerving black horses pulling the carriages. But after a time, he didn't mind them. They reminded him of himself, in a way.

She would be one of the only girls he would ever mourn, besides Lily, of course.

_But she's not even dead like you thought, is she?_ He thought bitterly.

It was quite a shock, to put it mildly, when he had met "Jimmy Porter" at the secret Order meeting. Apparently, he had overheard a conversation between Kingsley and Nymphadora and was interested in the Order. Severus was, of course, suspicious, but what could they do but let him come?

It wasn't a huge meeting, actually. It was only himself, Dumbledore, Minerva, Lupin, and Black who were present. Well, Potter and his sidekicks were upstairs, but Severus didn't count them. All the other members were on duty or had to work. "Jimmy" had picked a very convenient time to come. He had acted almost normally until he started to transform into James Potter before their very eyes.

It was clear that Potter Sr. hadn't expected that turn of events. Immediately after the potion wore off (Which only lasted 15 minutes - much shorter than Polyjuice usually lasts – so someone obviously had tampered with it), he tried to flee, but Dumbledore wouldn't hear of it. So while Severus rushed to grab Veriteserum, it was decided that they would travel to Potter's house to investigate. Severus was secretly pleased.

He didn't see why Potter and his friends had to come, though. Surely they could have a sweet little family reunion at another point in time? But no, Dumbledore insisted that Potter had a right to know. And apparently he had the right to take his friends along with him. Dumbledore's obvious affection for the boy was irritating. Sometimes Severus wondered if it clouded his judgment.

Though he never showed it, Severus was nervous and excited at the same time. He would be seeing them for the first time in 14 years, he really didn't know what to expect.

It certainly wasn't what happened.

Funny how it worked like that, Severus thought. You claim to have no idea what lies ahead, yet when events like this happened, you are overwhelmed by the sense that you were expecting something else to occur.

And he had thought he hated Potter before.

How dare he, how _dare _he, abuse Leila!

His own daughter.

**August 1st. 1995. The Day the Potters were discovered.**

Dumbledore watched as James, bound by magic, was force fed Veriteserum by Severus. He, who was rarely surprised by anything, was beyond shock right now. He could not see how it was possible for James, Lily and Leila to be alive. Unless…..no, he did not want to even think about it. So, master Occlumens that he was, though certainly not as talented as Severus, he pushed the matter to the back of his mind (a purely metaphoric phrase, for there can be no back nor front of the mind, which is a metaphysical thing, having no true physical substance,. Dumbledore believed that the mind, thoughts and memories, were separate from the brain).

He could not believe that James would turn child abuser either. Dumbledore supposed it had to do with being cooped up in one place, hiding, for 14 years….but why hide? Why pretend to be dead? Dumbledore had his suspicions, but would not say them aloud, for he knew first hand exactly how mistaken he could be.

They were in the Potter's sitting room. It was a large room, decorated in red and gold. True Gryffindors, he had thought with a smile when he first entered. Severus, of course, scowled, but that was never unexpected. James sat in an arm chair by the fireplace, eyes empty and no posture now that Severus had dosed him with Veriteserum. Lily stood in the corner, a fierce anger in her eyes. Dumbledore knew she blamed herself for not ever realizing her daughter was being abused. He didn't blame her; James had turned out to be even cleverer than they had previously thought; even Severus admitted that.

Ah, Severus. Dumbledore eyed the younger, troubled man. He had been through too much. When he had came to Dumbledore years before, telling him that he had a daughter with Lily, and she was a twin of James' son……Well, let's just say that that was one of the few occasions in which Dumbledore was shocked.

It was an unusual thing, in these modern wizard times, for twins to have different fathers. It was quite common before and during the Dark Ages, because they, in particular the Greeks, believed that the mother was simply a vessel for children to be born and was not involved in creating the child she bore. Therefore, the twins (or more, Dumbledore supposed) were thought to be of no relation. This had faded during the years of the Renaissance as witches and wizards, along with Muggles, learned more about, well, everything.

Severus himself says he was not quite sure how it happened. That had kind of disturbed Dumbledore at the time, but he had let him continue rattling off his tale. He had just left from a Death Eater meeting, and was already regretting ever signing up for it. After a particularly bad round of Crucios, he entered a bar and drowned his sorrows in Firewhisky. But he wasn't too far gone to miss Lily Potter enter the bar. Looking like some kind of angel, she sat down next to him (Severus was rambling, but Dumbledore had hung onto every word). One thing led to another, and somehow Lily was saying how much she missed him and wished he wouldn't have been a Death Eater, and Severus was saying how much he missed her and wished she hadn't married James. Neither of them knew that Lily was pregnant at the time, and neither of them remembered to use protection. Both of them were quite obviously drunk, and Severus said he regretted that his daughter was conceived that way.

Dumbledore smiled and marvelled at how much Severus had changed.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were upstairs, doing what, Dumbledore didn't know. It was quite a shock for Harry to realize his parents were alive, and that he had a brother and a sister. It turned out that Miss Granger had known all along that the Potters were alive, but James and Lily had made her swear not to tell anyone. Severus, now even more paranoid about James, suggested that maybe he had made her take an Unbreakable Vow and then wiped her memory. That would be cruel for anyone, even James, and Dumbledore found himself unwilling to believe it.

Minerva sat beside him on the plush couch, and Severus sat on his right. Remus and Sirius were sitting as far away as possible from James, as if distance would make it so they never knew him. Men often fell into the trap that if they avoided something, then it didn't exist. Dumbledore had fallen into this trap many times before, and one time the trap had ended in death.

But now was not the time for getting sentimental, or self-pitying, as Severus would put it. He stood up and sighed.

"I believe that it would be unwise to linger any longer, so we shall begin." He said, in his usual formal tone.

He turned on James, and James turned his empty eyes up upon him.

"Why did you hide from the rest of the Wizarding World after you died?" Dumbledore asked. That seemed like a good place to start.

His voice was rough and patchy, and he spoke in a manner that was not at all like James Potter.

"_I thought it was best for my family. If we returned, alive, there would be too many questions we could not answer. Lily wouldn't like all the attention. And Dumbledore has always believed that even though Voldemort might get defeated, he would come back again. We decided to go into hiding until he was gone for good. We were sure that he would not be happy if we survived, and he would hunt us down."_

Dumbledore nodded. The last part made sense, at least. He continued with the questions.

"Do you know exactly why you survived?"

_"No."_

_"_Did the Killing Curse make contact with you and Lily?"

_"Yes. I didn't even have time to blink. All I saw before was a flash of green light. Then all of a sudden I was awake, with no memory of what happened after the curse hit. But I knew we had to get of there."_

Dumbledore looked to Lily for conformation and she nodded her head ever so slightly.

Of course, Lily had said as much about escaping, but if James was a child abuser it didn't take much to believe that he lied to his wife. Dumbledore suddenly had a burst of curiosity and could not stop the question from escaping out of his mouth. He shrugged apologetically.

"Do you still love Lily?" She whirled around at him, shocked, glaring at him. Dumbledore supposed it was none of his business, but there was no stopping it now.

_"Yes, I always have and I always will. She is the most amazing person I have ever met, and nothing will change that."_

Dumbledore nodded again. He always believed, no matter how bad a person was, they had some good traits. Voldemort may be an exception.

"How did you pull off the ruse that you were dead?"

"_First, we created the fake bodies. I transfigured some of the rubbish into clone bodies of Lily and myself before the Muggles arrived. There was no need to create a body for Leila, since barely anyone knew of her existence. We quickly apparated to the town Lily lived in when she was younger and pretended to be Jimmy Porter & Leslie Evans, an unmarried couple with a little baby. We knew someone who could make papers for us. We kept a stock of Polyjuice Potion on hand in case we had to interact with wizards."_

One question always led to another. "Who is this person who got you "papers", as you say it?"

_"Andromeda Black."_

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but did not comment. Though not nearly as bad as her other two sisters, Andromeda had always been a bit….mischievous at school. It did not surprise Dumbledore that she figured out how to fake official documents. And, being a cousin of Sirius, she probably would have had contact with the Potter's before.

Dumbledore sighed. It was time to get to the more incriminating part of the interrogation. "How long have you been abusing Leila?" He felt Severus tighten beside him.

_"Ever since Sirius was born. So about 11 years ago, when she was 4."_

Dumbledore chanced a glance at Severus, and saw his face contorted with the utmost rage. He doubted the next question would make him calm down, but he had no choice in the matter.

"What all have you done to Leila, in terms of abuse?" Now Severus was clutching the arm of the couch very tightly.

_"At first I only verbally abused her. I told her she was stupid and worthless because she couldn't ride a broom. I didn't know what was wrong with her. As she grew up, I began hitting her because she was always sarcastic, and reminded me too much of Snape. I made her take an Unbreakable Vow at age four that she wouldn't tell anyone about any…harm I would do in future or had to done to her. I made her take another one at 6, which forced her not to go to Spinner's End. I did not want her anywhere near Snape. Sometimes I make her take that potion she's allergic to…I can't remember the name of it. One time, when she stayed at Hermione's house for too long, I cut her wrists several times with a knife. I covered it up magically so Lily wouldn't notice. One time I took her out flying with me and I pushed her off the broom. I've done other stuff but I can't remember all of them."_

Dumbledore was disgusted and disturbed: abusing a child so much that he cannot remember all that he has done to her. This was not the James Potter he used to know.

"Were you drunk during any of this?" Sirius demanded suddenly, as if drunkenness would appease the horrible things James had done.

_"No. I rarely drink."_

This time it was Severus spoke. He did not speak in anger, but in horror and disbelief. His voice was so soft that Dumbledore had to strain to hear it.

"Why have you done this?"

"_I'm not entirely sure, for loads of different reasons. Leila was never the daughter I've wanted her to be, and sometimes I've suspected that she wasn't mine, though I do not believe that Lily would cheat on me. And I hate being shut out from the Wizarding World. It just makes me so angry even though it was my idea. I take my anger out on Leila, I guess. She just always happens to be there and any little thing that she says sets me off. I try not to do anything in front of Lily though. I didn't want to upset her."_

Dumbledore tried to stay indifferent. "Did either of your other children effect this?

_"Yes. The fact that __I lost Harry, my son, to go live with those Muggles…..it just added to my ever growing anger and unrest. And then Sirius came…and he was the most wonderful child I could've ever asked for. He looked like me, and he had obvious talent on the Quidditch field. My love for him diminished my love for Leila."_

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "So you did love her, a little bit?"

_Yes, I do love her. I know I'm a monster, but I know there's nothing I can do about in. I've tried to fight it, nothing works. Leila probably thinks I'm lying when I tell her I love her or say something nice to her, but I'm not. I do love her, but there are times when I absolutely hate her. I'm a monster, and I don't know why."_

Well, Dumbledore had certainly not expected that. He almost forgot his next question. But he had to act quickly, for the Veriteserum was starting to wear off. He could tell because James was getting his personality back and his answers were becoming longer and more opinionated.

He looked around at the people scattered around the room. "Do any of you have anything else to ask?"

They all shook their heads slowly, and he could tell that all of them were still in shock. He raised his wand and Stupefied James nonverbally.

"Albus." He turned and faced Severus at the sound of his name. "What do you suggest we do with him?"

"Well, what do you think we should do with him?" He said, as blue eyes pierced the black.

Severus was obviously annoyed, as he always was when Dumbledore threw his questions back at him.

"God, Albus, I'm asking you for a reason."

"And that reason being that you feel you are too biased to make a fair decision?" When Severus did not reply, Dumbledore continued professionally. "I don't think we should send him to Azkaban, not with Cornelius' attitude."

Severus' lips curled. "No doubt he'd find a way to blame Potter Jr. for it."

"Precisely. So I would like to avoid any transactions with the Ministry, if possible."

Severus nodded his agreement. Minerva spoke up for the first time. "Perhaps we should send him to the French prison? What is it, Empmalsur, or something along those lines?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, but I don't think a prison would help James very much."

Severus' carefully arranged expression quickly turned outraged. "Help?_ Help!_ Help, Dumbledore? We're supposed to be punishing him, not, God forbid, helping him! Have you lost your mind?"

"Severus, please calm down." He said, for Severus had stood up. He crossed his arms and obediently obeyed, though he did not look happy about it. "Severus, you listened to him. It is clear that this man was not completely in his right mind all of the time—"

"But even he admitted he was a monster, and there was nothing he could do about it!"

"Exactly. Do you really think he is completely all together from that statement? No. It is clear that he meant to do harm to Leila, yet I believe that he was not acting rationally. Yes, he deserves to be punished but that cannot be achieved by putting him behind bars."

Exasperated, Severus threw his arms up in the air. "Then I ask it again! _What do you suggest we do?"_

To Dumbledore's surprise, Lupin spoke up. "Maybe we could modify his memory?" He suggested in a tight voice, as if every word he spoke pained him.

Dumbledore nodded. "That idea has potential. Does anyone else have any ideas?"

They all shook their heads. So much for discussion. He sighed and pointed his wand at James again.

"I am going to send him to Hogwarts," He explained. "Until we reach a decision."

He muttered, "_Eoire Hogwarts hospitium!" _and with a crack, not unlike the one made when one apparates, he was gone.

**August 2nd. 1995.**

I sighed as I looked at myself in my mirror. I knew I couldn't delay anymore. Having dressed myself, done my hair and brushed my teeth, I had no excuse not to go downstairs.

I'll admit it, I was nervous, apprehensive. I wouldn't know what to say to anyone besides my mother and Hermione. But, I reminded myself, standing here like an idiot was unlikely to help matters. So, after a deep breath, I walked out of the room and down the stairs.

When I got downstairs, I saw that since the kitchen could not hold so many people, breakfast was being served in the living room.

All eyes were cast upon me as I entered the room. I felt so awkward and I really wanted to sit down, but before I even got the chance to think about it, Hermione leapt to her feet and tackled me with a fierce hug.

All my tension eased as I hugged back and I laughed.

"Jeez, Hermione, kill me why don't you?" I said with a grin.

She stood back and looked at me with concern. "Are you okay, Leila?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stupid question," I told her. Because how could she think I was okay? Have I ever really been "okay"?

"Sorry! I mean, are you…" She broke off, not knowing how to phrase it.

"Yeah, 'Mione, I'll manage. Now let's have breakfast, I'm starved."

"Okay." She eyed me suspiciously, but led me to wear she was sitting next to Harry and Ron. My heart beat a little bit faster.

Couches and chairs were arranged around a huge table. Mum was sitting in an armchair, staring at me with concern. Snape and Dumbledore were sitting side by side on a loveseat, both determinedly not looking at me. McGonagall sat in another armchair, and Lupin & Black sat together. That left me, Hermione, Harry and Ron sitting on the couch.

The table itself was full of many different varieties of food. Everything from pancakes to French toast to bacon was laid out before us. I eagerly grabbed some bacon and eggs, and began to dig in.

After a few moments, I looked up at the 2 boys. They were both staring at me.

"Um, hi," I said, swallowing nervously.

"Hi," they said back. To my relief, they seemed as awkward and nervous as I was. Especially Harry.

It was as if the other occupants of the room weren't even there. In fact, they were not, but I did not notice them leave.

"So," I said, grasping at straws for a conversation opener. "How 'bout them Cannon's?"

To my great surprise, Ron then went on a rant about how this year was their year and just because 3 players were kicked out of the league and replaced with rookies didn't mean that they couldn't be great. Harry snickered beside him. He also seemed to gather some of that Gryffindor courage and talk to me.

"So, do you play Quidditch?"

I shook my head. "No, I tried it once….didn't end well. Let's just leave it at that." I said, smiling.

"Oh." He said, nodding. He now looked like he was at a loss for anything to say.

Ron entered into the conversation again. "Is that a piano?" He asked, pointing to the corner where my baby grand piano sat.

"No, it's a gigantic Cauldron Cake." I said with a grin. "Of course, it's a piano." I added at the look on his face.

"So you play?" He asked, curious.

Before I could say anything, Hermione burst in.

"She can play beautifully! And she can sing, too!" She said, a look of pride on her face. "Play and sing for them, Leila."

"Yeah, go on," said Harry, encouraging me.

"Mmhm," Ron said through a mouthful of a real Cauldron Cake.

Though I did not want to, I gave into the pressure. I walked over to the bench and sat down, shuffling my music. I thought a little bit about what song to play and then started into it.

_"I'm holding on your rope,_

_Got me ten feet off the ground._

_I'm hearing what you say,_

_But I just can't make a sound…"_

**A/N: Whoo, that was a long chapter! Almost 5000 words! I hope that makes up for the long wait. (: And it was pretty hard to write too…**

**The song Leila sings at the end is Apologize by OneRepublic in case anybody didn't know. (: **

**If you have been reading this story but haven't reviewed, or are just now picking it up, I urge you to review! I allow anonymous reviews. Please, please, please! And thank you very much to those that have. :D Also, if anyone has a song that they'd like to see Leila sing in this story, let me know…I won't make any guarantees though. Thanks again for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: Marks of a Sorceress

Chapter 5: Marks of a Sorceress

Severus watched his daughter, along with Potter and his fan club, walk out the front door of the Potter's house. Granger and Leila wanted to show Potter and Weasley around the town. Severus knew that Leila probably wanted to get to know the boys better, and Severus didn't like that at all. He wished his daughter would choose her friends more carefully. Not that she really had a choice, he thought bitterly.

Then again, who was he to judge? It wasn't like he had made the brightest of choices. Potter was her brother; she had a right to know him. Severus could just go on hating him; it didn't mean that he had to hate him for hanging out with Leila. He felt slightly comforted by that.

Severus couldn't believe he missed his chance to tell Potter "I told you so." In a more formal and sophisticated manner, of course, but still, he wanted to rub it in. He had been right about James all along, hadn't he? Arrogant to the last degree…but apparently Severus hadn't realized how far the last degree was.

Even though he would like to rub it in Potter's face, he couldn't help feeling a _bit _sorry for Potter. Merlin, no, he wasn't warming up to the boy. But Severus imagined Potter would rather fight a dragon than be stuck in the position he is now.

When Potter had first caught sight of his father….well, suffice it to say his expression was priceless. James, however, had acted in a typical fatherly way: embracing the boy and rambling on about how proud he was of him. Potter looked quite awkward and shell-shocked; he hadn't said a word until they arrived at the house.

Lily clearly didn't expect so many visitors. Severus had only barely registered this….he was focusing more on the fact that the girl he loved was living, breathing, standing right in front of him. He wanted to reach out and hug her, tell her how sorry he was, that he loved her…..

But then he saw how the Weasley boy was looking at him, and quickly regained his composure.

Potter was much more receptive to Lily. He actually smiled when she hugged her and looked like he was finally accepting the fact that his parents were alive.

But then, of course, it had all came crashing down.

Even Severus, who despised James, would never have guessed that James would dare abuse a child, and then make her take two Unbreakable Vows. Severus' hatred surged again at the damage James had done to his daughter.

He had been pleased to see that she was wearing the necklace he had given her the one time he had saw her, when she was about six months old. He had been downright euphoric, though he did not show it, when he heard her sing and play piano. She had obviously inherited Lily's musical abilities.

But what qualities of his had she inherited?

He had noticed the green, swirling lines on her arms the moment he saw her. He had not had time to dwell on it until now.

He had prayed, when he realized that Lily was carrying his daughter, that Leila would not be cursed with the same plight Meredith was. He wanted more than anything for her not to have those marks. The marks of a sorceress.

Muggles may have different ideas about sorcerers & sorceresses, Severus did not know. But in the Wizarding World, there were only sorceresses, no sorcerers - and they were very rare. They often ran in families. They were born, not trained, and were marked by swirling marks on their arms, in either green, blue, or purple.

Blue marks meant that the sorceress specialized in physical magic, an example being the way Meredith could fool around with his body. Purple marks meant that the sorceress specialized in emotional and social magic. They were often able to sense the emotions of those around them and persuade others to do what they wanted. Very charismatic, these kinds of sorceress'. Green marks meant that the sorceress specialized in mental magic, which included the "reading" of minds, obviously, and controlling them to some extent. However, sorceresses gifted with mental magic were the rarest kind of sorceress', and therefore very little was known about them.

Sorceresses were obviously very powerful, but they often died before they turned 18 because of the amount of power they end up having. It becomes too much, and eventually the organs fail because they were trying to support too much magical power.

Severus had not just given his daughter the jade necklace for sentimental value. He gave her the necklace because he knew there was a chance that Leila would be a sorceress. He had not liked to think like that, but Severus knew better than most that it was always best to be prepared. Jades could come in green, blue, or purple (Magical jades, that is.), and always helped control the excess amount of magic in a sorceress. For whenever a sorceress used her specific power, she dips into her own energy supply, and once she uses that energy, it can't be replaced. That is why so many die early on. However, jades had their own energy resources, so to speak. There is a reason why jade's are the most sacred gem in the magical world. Instead of tapping into their own resources, sorceress' could draw energy from a jade.

Dumbledore had explained all of this to him, Meredith, and his mother before Meredith came to Hogwarts. However, they did not discover jades could help control the magic until after her death.

Though Severus hoped upon hope that the jade would save Leila, he knew it wasn't a guarantee. Once her powers made themselves known, which usually happens about 6 months after the 15th birthday, she would need to be trained. Severus, Dumbledore said, would be the one who would train her. After all, who had gone further in the realm of mental magic, besides Voldemort? Severus was confident her powers would outstrip his fairly quickly, but nevertheless agreed to train her. He would also tell her he was her father at the point.

Sometimes Severus wondered if God had made his life out to be some kind of joke.

He wanted to tell Leila the truth, he really did, but how would she react? Even six months from now, she would barely know him. Though Severus was sure she'd prefer him over James (that wasn't arrogance - Severus would simply never abuse her!), there was no doubt that there would be considerable tension between them. After all, how was someone supposed to react to the news that her father was not who she thought he was? And to top it all off, there was a chance that he might have to teach Occlumency to Potter as well. As if he needed more stress in his life!

Severus sighed and put his head in his hands. Surely he deserved a break from all of this….insanity once in a while?

Apparently, God didn't think so.

**August 31st.**

I couldn't keep a huge grin off of my face as I packed my suitcase for Hogwarts. Mum, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I went to Diagon Alley to get our stuff a week or so ago. Despite Voldemort being back and Fudge being an idiot, this summer had shaped up to be one of the best of my life.

For the first time, I was free from my father. I didn't have to worry about him coming into my room at night and beating me. I didn't have to fear being cut several times for dropping a plate. The world looked like a much brighter place now that he was out of my life. Dumbledore said that they had modified his memory so he really thought he was Jimmy Porter, and that he was a homeless man living in London. I didn't mind, really, and understood why he couldn't be put in Azkaban. Just as long as he was far away from me.

Mum graciously had let Harry, Ron, and Hermione stay here for the remainder of the summer. The others had left the day after discovering us, and I could tell Sirius Black didn't like that they were staying here. I had no idea why, but I didn't dwell on it.

It was so amazing getting to know the guys, especially Harry. It didn't feel awkward to be around him anymore, we acted more like brother and sister now. And he looked genuinely happy.

Yeah, it had been a pretty great summer.

**September 1st.**

It was amazing how much could be left to do in the morning when we had spent 2 hours packing yesterday. Ron had assured me this was not unusual, and as he had 6 siblings, I had to admit it could've been worse.

Lost in the euphoria I felt about going to Hogwarts, I never really thought about how much I would miss Mum. Sirius would too, and I was sure Mum would miss us. Ah, well, it was inevitable, I supposed.

Before he had left, Professor Dumbledore had decided to save me the embarrassment of being Sorted with a bunch of little 1st years and Sort me at home. I had thought that Sorting was an automatic thing, but apparently not…

_I was sitting in the middle of the living room on a stool, trying and failing not to feel awkward. Everyone was sitting around me, staring at me, all in their own ways. Ron, Hermione, and Harry's stares were encouraging and sympathetic, Mum's was excited, Sirius' was jealous, and the rest of the adults' were curious but distant, none more so than Professor Snape._

_At last, Dumbledore arrived, back from Hogwarts, with the Sorting Hat. It was ragged, shabby, and patched in places. I failed to see how it could Sort anything, but Dumbledore just smiled and placed the hat upon my head. It slid down past my eyes, so thankfully I could not see anymore._

_I nearly jumped out of my seat when I heard the voice coming from the Hat. _

_"Hmm…hmm, ah, we have another Evans, don't we? Well, you have courage that could rival your brother's…brilliant mind, extremely intelligent, I see…astonishingly clever, and loads of ambition, you'd be good as a Slytherin, very good…loyal and determined, but not much patience, I'm afraid. Where to put you, where to put you..."_

_The hat continued in that manner for a few more minutes that felt like hours. At last it shouted, for the whole room to hear…_

_"GRYFFINDOR!"_

So, yeah, I was pretty happy with that because I was in the same house with Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

I glanced through the window of the Muggle taxi. We were almost at King's Cross. I looked at Mum, and could see she was beginning to tear up. Oh, God, here we go.

I'm not quite sure how we managed to get out five suitcases, two owls and a cat, and six people out of the taxi in five minutes, but somehow we accomplished it.

Totally familiar with my Muggle surroundings, I walked towards the barrier between Platforms Nine & Ten without batting an eyelash.

I looked at the many Wizarding families surrounding me with wonder. I had never seen so many wizards in one place. Families were arguing over things forgotten, having tearful goodbyes, and reminding each other to behave.

Soon, the others walked out of the barrier and came to stand next to me. Sirius was the only one who looked as awestruck as I was. I smiled at him.

"You look like a monkey who wondered into a Potions lab, you know that?"

He punched me in response. "Shut up, you looked like you had just been hit by the Bulgarian Quidditch team."

"Mmhm, because you'd really know what that looks like..."

"Be quiet, you two." Mum said, with a sad smile on her face. She looked around the platform, reminiscing. She sighed, and looked at the clock. It was ten till eleven. "Well, I guess you all better go."

"I'll miss you, Mum." I said, meaning it, as I stepped forward to hug her. I didn't really like close, affectionate gestures like hugging, but I knew my mum did.

"Oh, I'll miss you too, Leila." As she leaned in closer, she whispered in my ear. "I am so sorry about everything that happened this summer. And that this is your first time going to Hogwarts. I will always regret it."

I wish she hadn't have said that, because it made me feel uncomfortable and I couldn't really disagree with her about Hogwarts. "It'll be okay, Mum. At least I'm here now."

She smiled and pulled away. "Well, you had better get on the train now. Wouldn't it be horrible, after all you've been through, to miss the train?"

I laughed shakily. "It would be. I can come home for the holidays, right?"

"Of course you can, but goodness knows you might want to stay for the holidays." As she said this, something in her face changed. It stiffened a little. Was something going to happen during the holidays? I wanted to ask her, but knew it would get me nowhere, so I kept silent.

"Well, I'll see you, Mum." I said, as she was saying goodbye to Sirius and Harry.

"Bye, Leila." She said sadly, holding back tears. I couldn't bear to look at her any longer. Ron and Hermione had already left for the prefect's carriage, so it was just me, Harry, and Sirius there. They both looked like they were plenty ready to get on the train, but they thoughtfully decided to wait for me. I couldn't believe it. Men? Thoughtful? I shook my head, smiling.

"Come on, guys, let's go!" I said, enthusiastically.

Sirius didn't hide his excitement. "About time! It's about to leave!"

Indeed it was. Hurrying our trolleys towards the train, we all looked back at Mum and waved. She was smiling and waving back, but tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. I looked away. I couldn't stand to see her tears.

As soon as we got on the train, we made our way down it, looking for empty compartments. At the sight of us, many people hurried into compartments, avoiding our eyes.

"What's all that about?" Sirius wondered.

"They're all Daily Prophet subscribers, no doubt." I said, scowling.

"Oh, so they all think Harry and Dumbledore are off their rockers, then?"

"Probably." Harry said dryly. "Don't worry about it, Sirius. I've heard worse…I'm not bothered by it."

Sirius seemed satisfied, but I could tell that Harry _was_ bothered by it. I didn't say anything, however. Not in front of Sirius.

"Maybe you should go and find your own compartment." I told him. "You know, find some friends in your year."

Sirius smiled. "That's a good idea, actually. I'm around you enough at home!" With that, he turned around and headed the opposite direction.

I laughed. Typical Sirius. "Hey, I think I see an empty compartment." I said, pointing towards one 2 doors ahead of us. "Oh, never mind, someone's there." I continued, spotting a boy holding a rather large plant under his arm.

"That's okay, it's just Neville. He's a friend of ours." Harry assured me. He walked towards Neville and I followed, hesitant. This is the first time my story would be tested.

Neville finally spotted us. "Hey, Harry!" He said, smiling. "And….I'm sorry, I don't know who you are. Are you new?"

I smiled shyly. "Yeah, my name's Leila Evans. I've been homeschooled up until now."

"Really?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Not very many people get homeschooled. "What's it like? My Gran wanted to home school me, wasn't sure if I'd be good enough for Hogwarts…" He blushed, clearly not meaning to say all that he did. I felt a surge of pity for this boy, and decided not to acknowledge that part of his speech.

I shrugged. "Boring, really. Especially when your parents teach you everything…." I decided to change the subject, before he could ask too much about my parents. It bothered me that I had to lie to everyone. I was pretty sick of that at home; I didn't imagine it would be any better at Hogwarts. But Dumbledore thought that it would best for me to keep my "true identity" (I laughed when he referred to it like that) secret, for my protection. Whether he meant Voldemort or the Ministry, I didn't know. Probably both.

"Is that a Mimbulus Mimbletonia?" I asked, pointing to the plant underneath the boys arm. I've read about them in various potion books.

The boys face lightened up. "Yeah! You've heard of them?"

Before I could reply, Harry interrupted. He was looking around nervously. "Why don't we get into the compartment to continue this discussion? People are starting to stare."

People were indeed starting to stare. Not only at Harry, but at me as well. I suppose that Hogwarts didn't get many 15 year old new students. I hurriedly stepped into the compartment to find a girl seated there, reading an upside down magazine.

"Um…." I said, unsure of what exactly to say. I didn't know if we were disturbing her or not.

"Hello," she said airily, looking up from her magazine. She was wearing the oddest glasses I had ever seen, pink, round, and covered with swirling marks. I glanced down at my arms at that thought. "My name is Luna Lovegood."

"Hi, Luna," Harry said, a bit nervously. Apparently he found the girl as strange as I did. "Do you mind if we sit here?"

"No," She said simply.

"Oh, thanks," Neville said, sitting down.

Luna did not return to her magazine, but simply stared at us. It was so uncomfortable that none of us could find anything to say.

Finally, she broke the awkward silence. "You're Harry Potter," she said, staring at Harry.

"Well, yeah, I know that." He said, looking at his shoes. I laughed shakily.

"And you're Neville Longbottom." She said, turning her gaze to Neville.

Neville blushed and nearly dropped his plant. He didn't say anything.

Her eyes finally met mine. "And I'm afraid I don't know you."

I was already getting tired of having to say this. "I'm Leila, Leila Evans. I'm new; I've been homeschooled before now."

Luna nodded, and finally returned to her magazine.

I turned to Neville again. "Don't Mimbulus Mimbletonias produce Stinksap?" I asked him. I had no idea why he would want one for a plant.

He nodded. "Yeah, but it has loads of other properties too. It's a key ingredient in a bunch of potions, though I have no idea what ones, I'm rubbish at Potions. And I think if you keep it alive long enough, it can…"

At that moment, the door opened. Ron marched in and plopped himself on the seat beside Harry.

"You won't believe who's prefect for Slytherin!" Ron complained, at the same time grabbing a Chocolate Frog from the trolley, which had just appeared outside of the compartment.

Hermione walked in behind him, and gave me a meaningful look. "We're in for a long train ride."

**The Great Hall, later that evening.**

I looked around the Great Hall with wonder. It was one of the most amazing places I had ever been in. But I was distracted from that as my stomach growled. I was seriously hungry.

"When is the feast going to start?" I asked impatiently.

Hermione smiled. "After the Sorting. Aren't you excited to see what house Sirius will be in?"

I shrugged. "Not really. He'll probably be in Gryffindor, anyways."

Her face turned stern. "Not necessarily. Parvati Patil's sister is in Ravenclaw, and they're identical twins."

I shrugged. "But I know Sirius, and if he's not a Gryffindor, I'll eat my…..Well, I don't have a hat, so I'll eat those peppermint patties. They are the most revolting things I have ever seen."

Ron grinned. "Here's hoping that Sirius is a Hufflepuff."

"Oh, shut up." I said, hitting him. Not very hard, granted.

"Here they come," said Harry, and I turned to look at the first years marching in.

They looked so terrified, I wanted to laugh. Well, everyone looked terrified except my brother. He was grinning broadly, and when he caught my eye, he winked at me.

"Oh, God, what did he do now?" I said, sighing.

Harry laughed. "Probably told them they had to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Seems like something he would do."

I nodded, agreeing. Sirius took after Dad in that respect.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione silenced him. The Sorting was about to begin.

As it began to sing its song, I found myself daydreaming. As the hat rambled on about the four houses and how important it was to stay united during these troubled times, I thought about how lucky I was to be here and how much different my life would be. Though I would never admit it out loud, one of my greatest wishes has always been to be normal. Someone who didn't have an abusive father, someone who didn't have green spiraling marks on their arms, someone who wasn't hiding from the Wizarding World. Now that I had finally gotten my chance at a normal life, I wasn't going to waste it. I had met some of my fellow housemates on the train, so there were no more irritating and uncomfortable questions about who I was. Easing into this new life here at Hogwarts already felt right, despite me being here for less than an hour.

At last, the Sorting had begun. I watched as the first years turned from terrified to suspicious, finally glaring at Sirius. He simply smirked knowingly. I shook my head, grinning.

Sirius was the only one who walked up to the stool with even a shade of confidence. He actually winked at the crowd, to tremendous applause, before disappearing under the tall black hat.

After what seemed like a minute, the hat finally called out…

"SLYTHERIN!"

Ron looked at me, caught somewhere between a grin and a grimace. "Are you going to eat those peppermint patties now?"

**Authors Note: I apologize for the long wait, guys. I've been in Washington, DC, the last 5 days and haven't really gotten around to finishing this chapter off. If you ever go there, make it a point to visit the Library of Congress. So beautiful…**

**Anyways, I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and that it made sense. Make sure you tell me what you think about the sorceress thing! **

**NicoleOrban – That's really weird that you said Leila's middle name should be Alice, because that's what it's always been in my mind. Sirius' middle name is Frank. Just a random bit of information there.**


	6. Chapter 6: Pride and Prejudice

**Chapter 6: Pride and Prejudice**

Exceptionally full, I retreated to my dormitory expecting to fall asleep right away. Instead, I found myself turning over the day's events in my head.

I was already starting to miss Mum. This was not altogether surprising; I had never been away from her for an extended period of time. I hadn't expected the feeling to come so soon, however. Already I longed for her reassuring smile, her unwavering kindness. That was not the only thing I longed for, though.

I had fully expected Sirius to be in Gryffindor with me. I could hardly believe that he was sorted into Slytherin. But I supposed since that the hat had considered me for Slytherin as well, it wasn't much of a stretch for Sirius to be a Slytherin. I, having not spent one full day at the school, had no prejudice against the house, unlike my extremely loyal Gryffindor friends. No, my main concern was that it would be that much harder for me to look out for him.

I am very protective over my little brother; at first because I feared he would suffer the same abuse from our father that I did. I quickly discovered that my father quite adored Sirius, and I had nothing to fear from that end of the spectrum. However, it became apparent early on that he had a knack for getting into a lot of trouble.

He loved to trick things out of people. Money, toys, maybe even their confidence or their pride. The reward didn't matter. I could tell that he delighted in the actually process of convincing someone to give up a beloved trinket, or telling a group of first years something terrifying about the Sorting. He usually gave back whatever he took, and it was never large, but he often got in trouble at the Muggle school he attended. If I ever suspected a kid of becoming a tattler, I made sure to confront them. Nobody tattled after I spoke with them.

I hoped that this wouldn't be a problem here at Hogwarts; I could now see how it would get him into Slytherin. Hopefully, it wouldn't get him in trouble in Slytherin itself. Try as I may to be as unprejudiced as I could, I couldn't help listening to some of the stories Harry and Ron told. Therefore, I would have to try to stay away from my brother. I didn't want to cause any rifts between my brother and his housemates.

Thinking about these things didn't really help me get to sleep, and as I was sure I would need some rest for the day ahead, I grabbed a book from underneath my nightstand to distract me. Earlier, while unpacking, I had stored some personal favorites there for easy access. Finding my wand as well, I muttered a quiet "_Lumos" _and discovered that I had chosen Pride & Prejudice, a Muggle book my mum had introduced to me. Despite being quite a feminist who opposed anything demeaning to women, and struggling to understand bits of Austen's nineteenth century writing style, I had enjoyed the book immensely.

As I reached chapter two, I felt my eyes start to close. I set my book and wand aside as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

I walked out of the dormitory with Hermione, feeling quite cheerful. I was very excited about my first day of classes, and Hermione fed my excitement by describing each class in detail.

"I'm so glad you chose to take Ancient Ruins, Leila, it is extremely fascinating! Professor Horus is a fantastic teacher too, he—"

I snickered at the professor's name. "His name is Horus, and he teaches Ancient Ruins?" That was just too brilliant.

Hermione, on the other hand, looked perplexed. "So what if his name is Horus?"

I sighed. She must not be fully awake yet. "Ever heard of the Eye of Horus, Hermione?"

Her eyes dawned in realization. "Oh! I never thought of that…"

I grinned. "No doubt due to the overexposure to boys who have no interest in the fascinating study of runes. Ah, here they are now." I said, as we reached the bottom of the staircase that led us down to the common room.

"Ready for breakfast?" Harry asked us.

"Heck, I'm ready for classes." I said enthusiastically as we headed towards the Fat Lady's portrait.

Ron rolled his eyes. "I can see how you and Hermione could be best friends. You'll probably find History of Magic interesting."

Ignoring his jibe, I asked "How can a subject taught by a ghost be uninteresting?" I had rarely seen a ghost before entering Hogwarts.

"When he has the most boring voice in the world, and talks nonstop." Harry stated. I couldn't argue with that.

As we entered the Great Hall, I immediately looked up at the ceiling. Unfortunately, it looked like it was about to storm and I shared this with the others.

"Hopefully we won't have Herbology today." Harry said worriedly.

As we walked towards the Gryffindor table, I caught sight of Sirius just sitting down at the Slytherin one with a couple of boys who looked like they were around his age. Fighting the urge to wave, I sighed and set my eyes on my own table.

Hermione laid a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about him, Leila. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"As long as Snape doesn't get to him." Harry grumbled.

"Oh, come on, he can't be that bad." I said. I hoped he wasn't, because I rather wanted to meet the man who had pinned my father to the wall that day, and who also brewed the resting potion for me. Plus, Potions was my best subject and I wanted to see if he would be a competent teacher.

"Oh, yes he is." Ron said, his voice full of obvious hatred.

"Why?" I demanded, suddenly annoyed. "Because he might not have the most pleasant of personalities? Because he happens to be Slytherin? If the latter is the case, then I've got to say that I can't believe we are stooping to such of levels of prejudice."

That's when Ron snapped. "It's not prejudice, its Gryffindor pride. And that's not why we hate him. He's a right git to all of us, especially Harry."

"But if I haven't seriously misinterpreted Hermione's letters, hasn't he saved Harry's life on more than one occasion?"

"That was one time in first year, and I seriously doubt it would happen again." Harry said, not nearly as mad as Ron, but still looking at me strangely. I supposed he had the right. I had no idea why I was defending a man who I had barely met, other than that I felt instinctively that he could be trusted.

"What about in third year when found us in the Shrieking Shack? He obviously thought he was saving your life there." This time it was Hermione who spoke.

"That didn't stop him from making us look like idiots the whole time. He chewed you out pretty bad, too." Harry said to her, and it was as if he was daring her to argue with him.

"Maybe, but he's in the Order and Dumbledore trusts him, so I think that should be good enough for us." Hermione replied firmly. We all fell silent after that pronouncement.

As we were eating breakfast, Professor McGonagall came around with schedules for everyone. When Ron got his, he let out a loud groan, causing everyone in the near vicinity to look at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked curiously, all details of our previous argument forgotten.

"This is the worst Monday I've ever seen! We've got a double period of History of Magic, Potions, Divination, and a double period of Defense Against the Dark Arts! Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in the same day! Ugh!"

I quickly checked my schedule to see that I had all the same classes, except for Divination, which was replaced by Ancient Runes. A chill ran down my spine at the thought of facing Umbridge today. It wouldn't be the first time we've met. As well as being the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, she was also in charge of giving exams to children across Britain who happened to be homeschooled. It doesn't seem so bad at first, but she is also in charge of what kind of exam I sit through, and what the exam entails. There are restrictions on that to some extent, but otherwise she has total control. And for some inexplicable reason, she has never liked me. Or she's just a toad faced bitch. After her little speech last night, I was leaning heavily towards the latter.

"Well, it certainly seems like it will be a fun filled day." I said sarcastically.

"Sure does." Harry said dryly.

In truth, I was actually looking forward to Potions, but I didn't want to say that in front of the boys for fear of starting another argument. Ancient Ruins seemed pretty promising, too.

"Well, let's head to Potions or we're going to be late." Hermione said, standing up. We all nodded and headed for the dungeons.

Severus was not at all happy with the way his schedule worked out this year. He was by no means a morning person, and he would have to deal with a Slytherin/Gryffindor class first thing in the morning. To make matters worse, it was also an OWL class, and Potter would be one of the students. Wonderful.

However, Leila would be in this class as well, and he had to admit that he was anxious to see how well she would perform. He already known that she had tremendous ability; what with brewing the Polyjuice Potion and altering it, she was obviously extremely talented. This was not altogether surprising, considering who her parents were. He smirked to himself as he thought the last part.

He broke out of his reverie as his students poured into the dungeon classroom. Severus noted that his daughter, along with Potter and his gang (he refused to think that Leila was part of that gang), took seats in the middle of the room, though they seemed to be arguing about something. He couldn't afford to pay them too much attention, however, and in any case the bell rang almost immediately after they sat down.

Without further ado, Severus launched into his customary OWL speech.

"_Before we begin today's lesson," _He began, his eyes flickering towards Leila, who was sitting up, giving him her undivided attention. "_I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are," _ His eyes passed Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom "_I expect you to scrape an 'acceptable' in your OWL, or suffer my…displeasure. After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me. I take only the very best into my NEWT Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye."_

And Severus couldn't wait to be rid of some, well, most of them. Especially Potter. He only had one more year to deal with the hated boy, unless the job he pursued required the precise brewing of Potions. He knew that the boy hated him quite as much—if not more than him, so he did not think he had much to worry about.

As he continued with the speech, he could tell that his audience was getting restless. Therefore, he decided to spring the lesson on them unexpectedly; there was no point in droning on with only a couple students (Leila and Granger, of course) listening.

The potion they would be brewing was the Draught of Peace. It was a rather tricky potion, and Severus doubted whether even a third of the class would brew it correctly. The dunderheads had no patience and little understanding of the incredible art that was Potion brewing. It disgusted him. He knew he probably should not have started out the year with this Potion, expecting them to succeed, but this was their OWL year and he wasn't about to cut them any slack. They had been babied far too much by their other teachers, especially Potter. It was time they actually put some effort into their schoolwork.

Severus explained the lesson to the class, and then returned to his desk, letting them attempt the potion without any interference from him. Of course, he would have to keep an eye out, since hellebore was one of the ingredients. The name itself should tell people it was dangerous.

About a half hour into the lesson, Severus heard the door squeak open and he glanced up in surprise, scowling. Who would dare interrupt a Potion class? He could almost feel the incompetent fools forgetting their potions in favor of discovering who the new arrival was.

Scowling even more deeply, Severus saw that it was that sickly sweet Umbridge woman. Her smile was as fake as it was condescending, though it was obvious that she was trying to appear a pleasant figure.

Severus wanted to tell the woman to get the hell out of his classroom, but Dumbledore had warned all the staff to tread carefully when it came to dealing with her. She was getting handed new powers every other week, so it was best to try to stay on her good side, for now.

"Professor Umbridge, what an honor." He said, with a hint of sarcasm he hoped she didn't notice. "How can I help you?"

"Oh, I just stopped in to speak to one of your students. You may not realize this, Professor Snape, but in addition to my work in the office of the Minister, I regularly give exams to homeschooled witches and wizards across Britain."

His face was frozen. Oh no. This could not mean what he thought it meant. But of course it did….

"So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that Leila Evans enrolled here!" She turned to face Leila, who had not moved a muscle since Umbridge walked in. "It's so great to see you again, dear!"

The girl sat down the silver knife she had been using to cut her moonstone and looked Umbridge hard in the eyes. "It is rather nice to see you too, Professor." She said tensely. It was clear that she didn't mean a word of that, and that she expected something to happen between her and the Defense teacher.

"Oh, don't let me distract you from your potion! I know the fascination you have with them. You need not worry about being rude; I assure you it is fine." She continued, but in a considerably sharper tone. "And remember to always keep eye contact when you're speaking to me. It shows respect."

By now, the rest of the class had forgotten about their own Potions and were watching the exchange between Umbridge and Leila. Some of them looked confused about the DADA teacher's words, but Severus understood all too well.

Umbridge was going to make Leila brew the Draught of Peace while forcing her to converse (and look at) with her at the same time! This was bad, this was extremely bad. It was an accident waiting to happen. Gifted though she may be, it was doubtful that she could complete the potion properly with her attention so divided. Any mistake could be disastrous.

Leila's expression didn't change, and she continued cutting up her moonstone, more carefully and precisely than before. She didn't look away from Umbridge's face.

"So how was your summer?" Umbridge inquired. Most students wouldn't notice the disdain in her voice.

"Fine," Leila said, now grinding the moonstone into powder.

Umbridge wasn't happy with this short response. "Care to share any details?" She said, her voice sharp.

"I didn't do very much. Same old, same old." Leila said. It was clear that lying came easily to her. That disturbed Severus a bit.

Umbridge nodded, apparently satisfied. "And how are your parents?" Severus was having trouble keeping a straight face, as did Leila.

"They're well. They were happy when they found out you would be teaching here." Leila said, lying again. She was quite good at it, Severus noted. It was quite impressive for a fifteen year old girl.

Umbridge beamed at that. "I'm glad to hear that. I plan to reshape the whole Defense curriculum to an acceptable standard, and I truly believe that you picked a fantastic year to come to Hogwarts."

At that, the class started to mutter among themselves. Severus couldn't help wondering what she was going to do with Defense class. Nothing good, that was certain.

Leila now had poured the moonstone dust into her cauldron, and now was ready for the next step, the syrup of hellebore. It wasn't a complicated step, but getting the correct amount (6 milliliters) was absolutely essential. Too much of the poisonous ingredient would cause the potion to emit a thick layer of smoke and possibly explode. Too little and it wouldn't counteract the moonstone's peaceful properties, making it a near perfect clone of the Draught of the Living Death. The one difference was that Living Death merely lulled the drinker into a deep slumber; this potion would relax the person so much they almost always died.

Severus decided it was time for him to intervene, but he wasn't sure how. He did not want to appear sympathetic to Leila or the Gryffindors, he had a reputation to protect and his life could depend on that reputation. Besides, he _wasn't _sympathetic towards the Gryffindors. It wasn't his fault his daughter happened to be one, damn it.

But before he could open his mouth, he watched his daughter take the vial of hellebore syrup and pour it into the measuring cup, still looking determinedly at Umbridge, who had given up all pretenses and was watching the girl with an evil eye. He was sure the measure would be off, but, incredibly….it was spot on.

He shook his head, half in fascination and half in relief. This girl was amazing! She was definitely getting a perfect score today, not that she would know it.

Umbridge must have gotten bored of her little game, or maybe she was just upset that Leila didn't make something explode, because she stomped out of the dungeon as fast as she could.

Smirking, and immensely proud of his daughter, he quickly restored order to the adolescents and soon enough the lesson was over.

"I can't believe she did that!" Hermione said, her voice scandalized. "That was completely evil!"

"She was completely herself. This wasn't the first time she's done something like that, and trust me; it could have been a lot worse." I said, shuddering, remembering a Pepper-Up Potion gone horribly wrong.

"Well, I noticed Snape didn't try to step in." Ron grumbled.

I tried not to sigh as we walked out of the dungeons. "He looked like he wanted to say something, though. He probably would've, had I gotten the measurement of the hellebore wrong."

"How did you get the exact amount, Leila?" Harry asked in wonder before Ron could say anything more about Snape.

I shrugged, smirking. "Simple. I watched Professor Snape's face while I was pouring, and I stopped when his face began to relax."

A few moments of shocked silence followed my pronouncement, and Hermione shook her head again.

"Leila, you are brilliant!" She squealed.

"Yeah, we're going to copy your homework from now on." Harry added.

"Thanks guys, but there is absolutely no way I'm going to let you cheat. Cheaters never win and winners never cheat, that's what mum always says." I said, smirking once again.

"But we're not talking about winning, we're talking about homework!" Ron said, as if it were supposed to be obvious.

I shook my head, smiling. "See you guys at lunch!" I said as we parted ways. The boys headed off to the North Tower, while Hermione and I headed to the third floor for Ancient Ruins.

As soon as we entered the classroom, I could tell this was going to be a fun class. Moving posters were plastered all around the walls, featuring Egyptian pyramids, Greek temples, and Roman coliseums. There was a long table all along the east wall. Set upon it were ancient tablets, fossils, rocks and other ancient items. A bookshelf completely took over the south wall, and from where I stood I could see various books on mythology and history. Ancient Ruins was obviously much more than, well, ancient ruins.

Hermione led me to a table where two Ravenclaw girls were sitting, both redheaded. The one sitting on the inside had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, a very freckly complexion, and an eager face. I would think her a Weasley if I didn't know they were all Gryffindors. Her neighbor's hair was shorter and left down, and red like her neighbor's. She had full lips and pretty eyes. Both looked nice enough.

"Hey Jess, Jezz. Can my friend Leila and I sit here?" Hermione asked the two.

"Sure!" The freckly one said enthusiastically. I was surprised that she had an Australian accent. She turned to me, smiling. "You must be new. My name is Jessica, but you can call me Jess. My friend's name is Jessica too, but call her Jezz so you don't get confused."

"It's nice to meet you both. My name's Leila, you're right, I am new. I was homeschooled up until now."

This time, Jezz spoke. "Nice to meet you too, Leila. Homeschooled, really? What made your parents decide to send you here?"

Well, this was a bit uncomfortable. "I guess they just got tired of my relentless begging. They both went here; I thought it a bit hypocritical that they wouldn't let me go." This last part was actually true.

Jess looked about to say something when a Gryffindor boy from our year bounded towards us. He had black messy hair, brown eyes, and seemed to be holding some sort of drawing pad.

"Hey, here's the newbie!" He said, smiling at me. "Didn't get a chance to introduce myself in the Common Room yesterday. My name is Dorian, Dorian Apple. You're name is Leila, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. What's the drawing pad for?"

Dorian smirked naughtily, but Jess interrupted before he could say anything.

"It's for drawing his obsession, his entire reason for being…..Ally Wilkes." She said this all very dramatically.

He slapped her with the pad, playfully. "Oh, shut up. You know she's the most gorgeous witch out there, even if she is a Slytherin."

He nodded to a table near the front of the room where three girls (presumably Slytherin) were sitting. Two had beautiful coppery skin, the other had flesh as pale as a ghost's against her jet-black hair. Though they were all pretty in their own way, it wasn't hard to see who Dorian was talking about.

Her beautiful, brown, curly hair danced down just past her shoulders. There was no hint of a blemish on her face, yet she had no trace of make up on. Her brown eyes somehow sparkled, and she didn't seem to be aware of the effect she had on people like Dorian.

The other two Slytherin's were pretty, too. To the left of Ally was a girl with straight black hair, and brown eyes. Her smile was kind, and I noticed she was wearing combat boots. To the right of Ally was a rather short girl with the same skin tone as her neighbor. She had the most unique hair I had ever seen. On one side it dipped down to just below her chin, ending in a bit of a curl. On the other it reached just above her shoulder, also curving at the end.

Dorian noticed my gaze and nodded. "Emily, Ally, and Yasmine. The three nicest Slytherins you'll ever meet."

I grinned at Hermione. "I knew there had to be some nice ones!" I told her enthusiastically, even though she hadn't ever doubted me.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I never said there wasn't."

I blushed, embarrassed because it was my worry for Sirius that caused me to say that. "I know."

"Wait." Dorian said, frowning at me in confusion. "Wasn't your brother just sorted into Slytherin?"

"Yeah," I told him, my worry not altogether gone just yet.

"He'll be fine," He told me, sensing my worry. "Those three always make a habit of greeting the first years personally, telling them all about Hogwarts and Slytherin, since their prefects seem to forget to do it." It was clear in his tone that the prefects didn't _forget_ anything. I was suddenly grateful for these kind Slytherins.

"Thanks, that's good." I told him gratefully. Before he could say anything, the bell rang and Dorian rushed off to sit by the Slytherins. They didn't protest, but I think I saw Ally roll her eyes.

I turned to my tablemates. "I like him, he seems nice." And I did. He was one of the nicest people I had met since I got here.

"Ooh, crushing on Dorian?" Jess said, giggling.

"Ew, no!" I said, because I really wasn't. I gritted my teeth. Wasn't it possible for a girl to say something nice about a boy without people jumping to that conclusion?

"Ignore her, Leila." Jezz said, peering past her friend to look at me. "She's a bit weird at times."

"Oh, I was only kidding." Jess said dismissively. "But he understands being new, he moved here from Durmstrang a few years ago. Everyone hated him at first, but eventually they came around because he's really a good person, if a bit weird." She finished, using the same words Jezz used to describe her.

"I heard he used to be emo." Jezz stage whispered. I laughed at the thought of it. Emo wizards? This school was just too good.

"Well, not everyone from Durmstrang are dark wizards." Hermione said matter-of-factly. I smirked, knowing she was thinking of Viktor Krum.

We couldn't continue our conversation because the professor entered the room at that moment.

Professor Horus was younger than I expected, in his late twenties or early thirties. He was pretty tall, at least 6 feet. Wavy black hair fell just past his ears, and he his blue eyes were so startling that I blinked when I looked up at him. He seemed to radiate an aura of excitement, of adventure. No one would be falling asleep in this class.

"Greetings, valuable members of the Hogwarts student body!" He said brightly, a wide smile reaching across his face. I was surprised to hear an American accent. Nearly all of the class whooped, cheered, or clapped loudly at his words. Someone even sent up red sparks with their wand.

His smile became more pronounced. "I see you guys haven't changed much over the summer. But you did add another to your number. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to….Leila Evans!" He shouted my name, pointing at me. I could feel my face redden as the whole class applauded and quickly hid my face from the class. I heard Jess and Jezz cheer for me (Hermione was too reserved to do such a thing), as well as Dorian. As I glanced towards his table, the girls looked up at the same time. I smiled shyly at them, and they nodded. I had a sense that they liked me…..at least a little.

The rest of the class clapped politely for a little bit, nowhere near the chaos Professor Horus had received when he had entered. Thankfully, they stopped fairly quickly.

"Nice to have you, Leila! I can almost guarantee that you will love this class. Either that, or you'll run away screaming." Professor Horus told me, smiling. I looked up at him through my hair, relieved that the attention to me was quickly fading.

"Now, it's time we begin the lesson. As a professor, I am expected to teach something, you know." The professor continued, smirking now. Around the room there were gasps of "I never knew!" and "Whoa, really?" I shook my head, smiling. This class certainly was….interesting.

"Guys, seriously, time to focus! It's the first day back, so I won't be _too _hard on you. But it is OWL year, and whether or not you choose to continue on in this subject is your choice, but it is of the upmost important that you do your best on your examinations this summer. Ancient Ruins is not a subject that is required for many jobs, I'll admit that. But there are ways you can apply it to your life. You can apply anything you learn here at Hogwarts to your life. I'm not going to tell you how. It's up to you to figure it out." Professor Horus finished his little speech with a wink.

The class was staring at him in shock. Some of them looked like they understood nothing of what Horus said. I, however, understood quite clearly.

There are certain things in life that can't be taught. You have experience something to truly know what it is. You can't rely on books or teachers to get you through everything, otherwise, how would you make it in the real world? Here at Hogwarts we're trapped in a safe little bubble, separated from most of the Wizarding World. Most of us haven't had many hardships. It's only a matter of time before we're tested. There are things worth learning that they don't teach you in class. The difference between knowing something in your head and knowing it in your heart, between pride and prejudice, between hearing and listening. Things that seem so similar but are really complete opposites. Little things that can affect your whole life.

When I walked into this class, I certainly wasn't expecting to get a life lesson, much less a life lesson from an American.

The whole class was muttering to itself, probably haven't heard something that deep from their professor before. A lot of them didn't know what to make of it.

"What did you guys make of it?" I whispered to the girls at my table.

"I thought it was brilliant." Jess said, breathless, as if she just witnessed something awe inspiring.

"Impressive." Jezz said in agreement.

"He had many great points, but I don't really see how we can apply Ancient Ruins to our daily lives." Hermione stated, frowning. "I mean, on some occasions I'm sure we'll need it, but in everyday life….?"

"I don't think we're supposed to know what he meant right away." I said thoughtfully. "It's something we'll figure out over time."

"Maybe." Hermione said doubtfully.

"Okay, guys, enough with the chit chat! Our lesson is about to begin!"

**Hey guys! Sorry it's taken so long to update, but it is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you're satisfied. :D**

**I was in the midst of reading Pride and Prejudice when I started writing this, so that's where the title comes from. I haven't finished it though, so please no spoilers!**

**I'll try to be quicker on the next update, I promise! And if you all could review, that would be awesome! As always, thank you so much for reading! (:**


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